The flower girl
by Kenie-cha
Summary: Aokiji comes back to visit his hometown only to run into an old friend.


I felt a whirling pain in my stomach as I saw a crowd of people surround a man who didn't mind the attention. He flirted with women and played with the children showing his Hie Hie no Mi devil fruit power, "Hie Hie no Mi Turtle." When he opened his hands a sculpture of a turtle appeared having the kids scream with amazement. My blood boiled knowing why he was here, "Aokiji! I'm going to kill you!" I screamed as he looked at me through the crowd of people. I trembled in my shoes knowing he could easily kill me. Imagine me a 24 year old fighting a 27 year old giant. "Now how can such a cute mouth say such harsh words?" I blushed with his flirty remark. How was I supposed to react to this? He left the village to join the Marines and now I hear he quit. I worried every day about him. I saw him maybe every three months but now he left and never seen me until now. I had dirt everywhere with my hair tied in a bun with ragged clothes from gardening, "You're such a dick! Leave the Marines and never visited me. That's a horrible thing to do!" The local town people stopped and watched me yell at the tall man. "Look sweet thang I tried my be-" "Tried my ass! You could've rode your bike here!" I stomped toward him with anger all over my face. I had to read the local newspaper to check up on him since he was in the headlines half the time, "I get that maybe it's tiresome but you didn't even call! I worried about you! Not knowing what happened to you..." I felt tears slowly form and gently fall on my dirt covered face. "Amelia, why the tears thought you hated me?" his hand patted my head as I hid the tears. "A woman can cry you know but she doesn't have to explain why." Aokiji sighed heavily then laughed softly, "What's so damn funny?" "Just thinking about how stubborn you are. To think a stubborn woman would worry about me; let alone cry for me." I moved my face from his sight, "Who said I was crying for you?"

Some of the woman gasped at the handsome man with the burn marks and his missing leg. Even when we were kids this was normal; women drooled over him as other kids thought he was cool. I walked away taking a breather from all the drama and people who were watching. I look over my shoulder to him and slightly smile,"Come on Aokiji. I'll make dinner and run a bath for you to welcome you back." I grabbed his hand dragging him to far side of the island where my garden shop/house was. It was pretty private considering the island was a bit crowded. "So you garden now? This is new; thought you hated it." "I still do but I needed the money." "What happen to the tournaments?" I entered tournaments to win money and pay the bills. I was on a constant winning streak until some people offered to pay me to lose. The payment was often larger than the winning I only lost the title, "I quit. Got boring after awhile but people pay good money to have a dozen roses, lilies or any type of flower." He cupped his hands together, "Hie Hie no Mi Rose.", a rose made of pure ice took my breath away, "How much for this?" I laughed, "Well that depends if the customer wants to put in a drink or if they want it to melt into a puddle." he sighed but laughed a little. I watched it evaporate in thin air. I looked at his burn scar for a while as came closer to the house,"What's wrong?" "Oh nothi- Actually...how do you plan on bathing with that?" I point to his ice sculpted leg. "Ah. Don't worry about that I figured it out and it's not so bad." "Ok." I go to walk a bit further to open the gate but I still had a death grip on his hand, "I-I'm sorry." He smiled with a soothing voice, "It's fine. I enjoyed our walk here actually." My face turned pink knowing why he liked it. I opened the front gate revealing a variety of blooming flowers with small decorations around the yard. I had a large oak tree at the side with a swing on it. I smiled at my creation as he whistled, "Wow. Not bad Miss Amelia." I laughed walking to the porch. "This door goes to shop. The one in the back is to the house. There's a small brick establishment in the back. That's the bath house." As we walked to the back yard I felt my head become lighter, as if someone or thing lifted my hair. I turn seeing Aokiji looking at my light brown, long hair. I ignored the awkward moment and entered the sat at the table reading a paper as I changed into clean clothes. I put on an apron and made some soup and dumpling with a dessert of homemade lemon ice cream, "So why aren't you married yet Amelia?" I jumped hitting my head on a cabinet door. I closed the door as I rubbed the forming knot, "What? Why would you ask that?" He shrugged eating his dumplings. _**Honestly I thought I'd be married to you by now.**_ I sighed thinking to myself, "Well that was outstanding but I should go bathe. Maybe the lady would like to join?" With a late reaction I yelled, "Hell no! You perv!" I threw a book at his head as he ran off laughing. My face flustered and my heart raced thinking about that scene. Me. Aokiji. In the bath together...NAKED! I felt dizzy from the heat. _**No. No. You can't imagine that. You're only 24...and in love with a 27. Who happens to be in your house. Naked. In your bathhouse. OMG NO!**_ I shake the thought out of my head again. I washed dishes as he entered the bathhouse. He must have been tired. I looked at the clock, _**He's been in there for twenty minutes or more.**_ I looked out seeing the bit of sunlight and watered the flowers. I passed the bathhouse watering the bushes, "Aokiji! You ok?" "Might need the pretty lady to save me from drowning." I rolled my eyes knowing he was fine but tired. I placed my head on the table and slowly began to close my eyes.

I lied my head on something hard knowing it wasn't my pillow. I opened my eyes seeing my room. I rose up rubbing my eyes before I noticed the forearm around my waist. I followed the arm to burn scar and to Aokiji's face which was peaceful and sleeping by me. I quietly squealed, "Hm..." he groaned. I held my mouth shut knowing I could easily wake him up. I felt an awkward feeling go through me. A bad one to be specific. I saw he had no shirt on but I was worried about...the lower half. Slowly I rose the covers revealing long pajama bottoms, **_Oh Thank god!~_** I looked at his face seeing his eyes wide open on me. I began to sweat realizing I still had the cover to see his lower half up, "G-Goo-Good Mor-Morning! Aokiji-san?" I felt the blood rush from my face to my heart. "What are you doing?" "I swear it's not what it looks like." He sat up with a towel on his head. He sneezed, "Aokiji..." I sighed as my words trailed off. I stood up and dried his hair properly,"You're like a child. I swear." he laughed. **_Can Aokiji get the common cold. I mean, his devil fruit is ice and that means he deals with the cold right?_** I finished and threw the towel in a corner, "I'll make some tea to you warm up. You can sleep in my room. I'll take the couch." I go to walk away but I didn't want to. I wanted to be by him to make sure he was ok. I hand him the tea and new pillow as I sat by him, "Thought you were sleeping on the couch?" he sipped his tea. "Do you want me too?" he shook his head. I slightly smiled, "Why aren't you married Aokiji?" He looked at me confused for a moment then replied, "Never had a chance to ask you." I began to shake again, "What?" "When the time is right I'm going to marry you." he put his cup of tea down on the night stand, "Now we sleep pretty lady." He place his forearm around my waist and fell asleep. I had to take everything for a moment, _**Marry me?**_ I smiled at his sleeping face and realized I could live with this;well him. I kissed his forehead and lied next to him and fell asleep.

I woke up to the smell of meat that made my mouth water, "Food~" I walk to my bathhouse as I braided my hair to prep myself for the day and ate breakfast with Aokiji. He was still shirtless which made it hard for me to concentrate on my food, "You working today?" I nod eating the eggs off my fork. Been awhile since I ate with someone; kind of weird honestly. I wipe my mouth and finish my orange juice, "Ah~ Thanks for breakfast. It was delicious. I should open the shop now." "I'll work on the dishes and get groceries for lunch and dinner." I drooled thinking about his cooking until he flicked my forehead, "It's not cool to drool. Even for a pretty woman." He walked out with his bag over his shoulder. I opened the shop at 8 and cleaned up the dead leaves and petals. Watered the potted plants then cut some other flower stems. The old couple that often comes every month bought a dozen lilies, sunflowers and some chocolates, "Special day? Hope it turns out great." "But of course. 50 years feel as if it were yesterday." "50 years wow. I hope to marry soon and be happy like the two of you." The old woman leaned forward and whispered, "What about that man in the front yard?" "EH?..." I rushed over to the window seeing a strange man with tiger lilies. I had no clue who he was and had a bad feeling, "These are on the house now hurry home please." They rushed out by the time he entered. His face was hidden underneath his hat, "Good afternoon how may I-" I was cut off but a pistol in my face. Hand to hand combat is my specialty but I wasn't invincible against a gun, "Empty the register! EVERYTHING!" "Why?" "Because I sai-" "Why should I though?" I noticed the Marine badge on his coat, "You worked for the Marines?" "Shut up!" He cocked the gun and poked it to my temple, "They fired you didn't' they? Marines are dicks but don't rob my store because of what they did to you." I had no hope of living if he fired his gun but maybe a little hope if I talk to him until-"Amelia~ We nee-" "GET DOWN!" The man turns to see a woman and her child I take the chance and grab the gun...but it went off..."AMELIA!" I saw Aokiji running in as I began to fall to the floor. I groaned covering my leg, "Holy AH! This hurts." The man backed away with his arms up in fear seeing Aokiji's devil side. "You shot an innocent woman." his harsh words made me realize how bad this was turning. "A-Aok-Aokiji I'm fine leave him alone." My words couldn't reach him; his face was pure rage and hatred, "AOKIJI DON'T DO IT! THERE IS A FAMILY HERE AND I'M FINE!" I screamed crawling over the counter. The man began to cry, "I'm sorry sir." "That won't cut it." The air grew cold as his fingers stretched over to the man. **_No..._** I hurried over as his finger inches closer to take this man's life,"STOP!" I throw my hand in the way. I felt a burning sensation through my arm as Aokiji came to his senses, "It's fine. I'm fine, he'll go to jail for threatening me. That is all." Fear washed over his face as I began to shake; he made the ice evaporate from my arm, "Thank you but someone should call a doctor since my leg is in pain and has a hole in it." The woman and child ran outside calling for help as Aokiji tied the man up and my leg. "Pretty women shouldn't be treated so harshly nor act on their own." "Well if you would have killed him I'd have no lunch or dinner so..." I laughed as he sat next to me. He handed me a small red box with a golden trim around it, "This better be drugs to get this awful pain away." he snickered looking away. He took off his sunglasses, "Open it." I shrugged, "Fin-" I opened the box to see a necklace with a ring on it. My face flustered as I looked over at him, "W-what?!" I began to sweat all over my body. "Well, I thought since you work in the dirt this might be better. I sized your finger last night when you passed out on the table." I looked over at him, "But why? We literally talked about this last night!" "I told you I'd marry you so I thought better now than never. That cool with you?" I felt my face grow hotter when I replied, "Yes." I buried my face in his shirt as he laughed. I put the necklace around my neck, "Not the romantic thing I imaged but better than nothing." "Nah, the whole 'I got shot so my new husband asked me to marry him five minutes later' is a romantic story to me." I laughed. I looked over at him and smiled. I kissed his hand since I can't reach his face, "Besides the gun shot, this is the best day. And I still get to look forward to your cooking." he began to sweat, "About that..." "You dropped it on your way in here." "Yeah~ I panicked when I heard the gunshot." "Then you'll have to buy more." "WHAT? THAT'S NOT COOL!" I laughed as my new husband, Aokiji, explained his reasoning to me. I felt happy knowing I'd marry this crazy, perverted man, "By the way when is our honeymoon? You should we-" "Fuck off you perv."


End file.
